Shinichigami
by leonheart90
Summary: What happens when Soul Society faces an unsolvable case? They will call on the famed detective Shinichi Kudo. But Shinichi is still Conan...will he be able to solve the case? Bleach and Detective Conan crossover. My first fic. Please rate and review.
1. Disclaimer and Author's notes

Disclaimer

I do not own any of the characters in Bleach or Detective Conan (Case Closed). I wish I did but there is only one truth. I do not own the story of Bleach or Detective Conan, (how I would LOVE to cudgel my brains until such creativity comes). And finally…never mind. Let's just say I do not own anything, character or otherwise in this fic.

Author's notes

As this is my first fic, I'm not really sure about the postings and rules(like forgetting to put a disclaimer and writing author's notes. But I'm still learning so please bear with me. This story has not specific timelines in both the Bleach or DC universe. So it won't have spoilers or anything like that. I would like to think that this is more of a separate story, one that can stand on its own.

Thanks for reading. I'll try to update as often as I can. And please give some reviews on the story. Thanks a heap.

Leonheart90


	2. Rukia's mission

Soul Society

Rukia Kuchiki hurried along the corridor, her straw sandals slapping against the wooden floor. She passed by many other lower ranked shinigami, most of them who bowed to her. The shinigamis were all tensed up and there were whispers among them. Something was wrong in Soul Society and it was not something good.

Rukia hardly noticed the tensed state around her. She herself was all tensed up, hardly able to walk straight. The alarm had sounded and the vice captains were to meet up with the captains at the great hall. She was worried. What could have possibly caused such great alarm in Soul Society?

"Rukia."

She spun around and saw Renji Abarai walking up to her. They began to walk in the same brisk state.

"Do you know why there's an emergency?"

"Beats me. It seems like a big thing though. I heard that someone's hurt or something like that."

"I don't like the sound of that. Let's hurry."

They reached the great hall, where they usually held the meetings. The General Captain, Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai sat on his chair, his face stony. The rest of the captains and vice captains were standing at either side of the great hall. Renji took his place opposite the 6th Division Captain, Byakuya Kuchiki.

"Sir," Kenpachi Zaraki, the 11th Division Captain spoke up. "What is so urgent a matter that the alarms are sounded?"

"Patience, Kenpachi." The old man sighed. "We have a crisis on our hands now. And it would be unwise to lose patience now."

Tōshirō Hitsugaya, the 10th Division Captain snorted. "We don't have time to be patient, sir."

"I agree with Captain Hitsugaya." Rangiku Masumoto, the 10th Division vice captain added. "We need to dispatch our armies to counter this threat."

"Whatever it is." Renji quipped.

"Rukia Kikuchi." The General Captain said, turning to her. "I have an assignment for you."

"Sir," Rukia said. "I'm not trying to be rude but can you please state the matter of urgency?"

"Alright, you impatient ones." The old man sighed again. "One of our captains has been terribly injured."

"Who is it?"

"Captain of the 8th Division, Shunsui Kyōraku." The General Captain replied. "He was ambushed in one of the back alleys of Soul Society."

The captains recoiled in shock. It was not possible to enter Soul Society so easily. And the fact that this assailant might have injured a powerful captain like Shunsui. The thought was not comforting.

"I think that this is an inside job. Someone in Soul Society grievously hurt Captain Kyōraku. I fear that there will be more. Everyone must be on the lookout. No one should be excused. No one is guilty until proven so. No one should be above suspicion."

"Does that mean all of us are suspects in this case?" Momo Hinamori, vice captain of the 5th Division. She had been quieter lately after finally realizing her captain was no longer who he was.

"In a way, yes."

"Do we have any idea who did it?" Byakura Kikuchi asked quietly.

"No. And that is our problem."

"Well, that's just not fair for us." Rukia said.

"Rukia Kikuchi. That is why I need you to do the assignment." The General Captain said.

"Anything, sir." Rukia said, bowing."

"I need you to go find a person. He may well be the only one who can help us now." He looked at her intently. "He may be the one who can help us solve this case."

"Sir, you're not going to ask the substitute shinigami to come help us, are you?" Yachiru Kusajishi said from behind Kenpachi's back. The General Captain turned to look at her.

"No. But Rukia may ask for Ichigo Kurosaki's help. Heaven knows that we'll need all the warriors we have to overcome this matter."

The captains gave a halfhearted agreement.

"Rukia Kikuchi."

"Yes sir."

"Go to the mortal realm and bring back a person."

"Who, sir?"

"A boy named…Shinichi Kudo."


	3. That kid?

Tokyo

Conan Edogawa sneezed.

He looked out the window of Mouri's detective office at the busy street below him and sighed.

It was the summer holidays and Conan was bored. He was stuck at home with Kogoro Mouri because there was nothing to do. Ran had gone out wit Sonoko Suzuki and the Detective Boys were over at Dr. Agasa's place, trying out a new game.

Mouri had not gotten any new cases recently. It seemed as though Tokyo had become the world's most crime free place. That was why Conan felt the need to do something to stimulate his brain cells.

'It's better than to watch the old man drinking beer and watching reruns of Yoko Okino's concerts and shouting till his lungs were sore.' Conan thought to himself. He turned back to his detective novel, one he had read close to a hundred times.

'I wish something big and exciting happens.' He thought.

* * *

Another part of Tokyo

Ichigo Kurosaki yawned and flopped onto his bed. He closed his eyes and got ready to take a nap.

"YEAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Ichigo jumped up, shocked.

Kon was lying on the bed, flattened by Ichigo's body. The lion-bear plushie stood up angrily and shook his paw at Ichigo.

"Do you care about me? How could you flatten my beautiful body like that? I deserve more respect around here."

"KON! What the heck were you doing on the bed?" Ichigo demanded furiously.

"I was sleeping there obviously." Kon replied, brushing his shoulder. He looked up to see Ichigo's leg flying towards him. He could not avoid the kick in time. He flew backwards and bounced around the room.

"You don't sleep on my bed. You can sleep on the floor, on the table, in the toilet but NOT ON MY BED!" Ichigo grabbed Kon before he could reach the ground and flung him into the closet.

"I hate you, you idiot!" Kon's muffled voice came from the closet.

Ichigo plopped back onto the bed and sighed. It was peaceful and quiet again. He closed his eyes again.

"Ichigo!!! WAKE UP, ICHIGO! We have an emergency!!!"

Ichigo's eyes sprang open again and he leapt off the bed. He saw Rukia standing in front of him, dressed in her shinigami robes.

"Knock before you come in, Rukia!" Ichigo complained. "I think a growing man like me needs his…" Rukia gave him a punch to the stomach and he groaned.

"We need to hurry. Soul Society needs us." She said simply. "Where's Kon? We need him to take over your body again."

"I'm here, Rukia nee-chan!" Kon said happily, opening the closet and leaping to hug Rukia. Rukia gave him a violent backhand punch and he flew back into the closet.

"Come Ichigo." Rukia said, pulling on her glove. She leapt forward and punched Ichigo hard. Ichigo's shinigami form appeared. Rukia then went over to Kon and grabbed him hard. He was protesting and wriggling about. She put her hand into his mouth and pulled out the modified soul orb. Then she put the orb into Ichigo's body.

"Gah! I hate this body! It's so smelly and I feel stupid." Kon complained.

"You little…" Ichigo bared his teeth but Rukia pulled him back.

"We need to go now."

The two shinigamis leapt out the window and air hopped into the distance.

* * *

"I'm going out, oji-san." Conan said.

"Ah…um. Don't do anything stupid when you're out." Mouri looked up from the television. "GO YOKO!!!"

"Idiotic old man." Conan muttered under his breath. He closed the door and walked down the stairs. He could still hear Mouri shouting for Yoko.

Conan was bored. There was absolutely nothing to do. He decided to go to Dr. Agasa's house. At least he'd get some company there. Even if the Detective Boys were most likely going to thrash him in the computer game. He had absolutely no talent for computer games.

He walked slowly on the pavement. He decided to test out his deduction skills on the people passing by.

'That woman…she's an artist.' He thought, looking at a woman who was hurrying by. 'Her hands have obvious signs of paints and her fingers are slender. Plus she's holding a stack of canvases. She's probably going to hand in her paintings because she's rushing so much.' Conan smiled to himself. 'Who am I impressing?'

He continued walking. He thought about how great it would be to be back in his own body again. He didn't want Ran to miss him too much. She'd been weeping in her room often, he noticed. But she would not show it out in public. That was Ran, she was strong on the outside but just as emotional on the inside.

Suddenly, he felt a strange sensation in his stomach. He looked up. The people were still hurrying around. Nothing seemed to be amiss. He shrugged his shoulders and continued walking.

* * *

"WHAT THE HECK DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!" Ichigo screamed. "You want ME to kidnap a KID?"

"It's odd. He's the one we're supposed to bring back to Soul Society. But why did the General Captain ask for a kid?"

"Now you start thinking. You were just about to nick the kid and run." Ichigo said furiously.

"And he has no spirit power at all. How am I going to communicate with a kid with no spirit power?"

"RUKIA! You've got the wrong person. So let's go find the right person now. And please don't screw up anymore."

"I didn't screw up, Ichigo." Rukia narrowed her eyes dangerously. "See what the communicator says. That kid there is Shinichi Kudo."

"I think we better follow him some more first before we nick him away." Ichigo suggested.

"We don't have time for that, Ichigo. Soul Society is in trouble."

"We need the right person. So we better make sure first."

"Fine!"

"Maybe we can ask Uruhara to help. He'll think of something."

"Uruhara might not be interested in minor things like these. So don't bother him."

"I do believe I heard my name being mentioned." Uruhara stepped out from the shadows behind them. He was flanked by the massive Tessai and the two children, Jinta and Ururu.

"Uruhara, you idiot!" Rukia said, glaring at him. "You gave me a heart attack."

"Apologies Lady Rukia. I simply appeared out of the sha-." He could not complete his sentence because at that moment, Rukia gave him a flying kick to the head.

"And THAT was for scaring me."

Mr. Tessai and the two kids just stared.

"Whoa." was all Ichigo managed to say.

* * *

Uruhara's shop

"So now you're saying that we need this Shinichi fellow?" Uruhara asked, rubbing a bruise on his head.

"Yes. And we need you help us." Rukia replied. "Find a way to help us."

"Yes. I have here a device that might just arouse our young detective's interest."

Rukia and Ichigo leaned in closer to look at the weird device Uruhara brought out. It was a small metallic machine that looked a little like a gun.

"What does it do?" Ichigo asked. He prodded the machine a little.

"Well, it does this." Uruhara reached over and pressed a button. The machine gave a series of beeps and clicks. A whirring sound could be heard from deep inside the machine. Finally, the machine stopped. And suddenly, an object flew out of the barrel of the machine and hit Ichigo on the head.

"What the heck?!"

"Ah, it's a letter. Now all we have to do is give it to that Kudo kid." Uruhara looked pleased. "And both of you can wait here. I assure you he'll be here very, very soon."

"I hope you're right, Uruhara." Rukia said.

"I hope so too, Lady Rukia."


	4. Detective and Shinigami

Dr. Agasa's house

Conan moped around Dr. Agasa's house. The three other kids were enjoying their game. Each of them had soundly beaten Conan at the game, so much so that he finally gave up.

Ai Haibara walked up to him and handed him a cup of water.

"Here you go, Conan-kun. It'll help take that frown off your face."

"I'm not frowning, Haibara." Conan replied, flashing a forced smile.

"Oh sure. You're not. But if I were the one who got beaten by small kids in a video game…"

"Haibara!"

"I'm sorry, Conan-kun." Haibara replied innocently. "But I don't think I meant you."

Conan glared at her. "Haibara…"

"Hmmm?"

"Do you think you have found the antidote to this poison?"

"No. I'm working on in Conan-kun. Be patient." She looked at him. "This is about something else isn't it?"

"It's Ran. She's been really down lately. I don't want that to happen."

"You can't do anything about it. So stop beating yourself up."

"It's just that…sometimes, I wished I never got involved in this Black Syndicate mess. I would still be Shinichi Kudo."

"But the Black Syndicate would continue to harm people. More people might have been hurt."

"I guess so…"

"Well, I gotta go down to the lab and fix some things. See you Conan-kun."

Conan stared at her.

"See ya."

* * *

Uruhara's shop

"Mr. Tessai. Could you please help me deliver this letter to our young friend?" Uruhara said. He handed the letter to Mr. Tessai. He left the shop.

"Well, now that that's over and done with…" he smiled grimly. "Let's try to rebuild the portal."

"Portal?" Ichigo asked.

"The portal to make mortals into spirits. This Kudo kid is pure mortal He won't be able to get to Soul Society."

"Does that mean we'd have to do that running thing again?" Ichigo asked again.

"But of course."

"What running thing? What portal?" Rukia was still lost.

"You'll see later Rukia." Ichigo smiled at her. The next thing he knew, he was lying on the ground, a slipper shape on his face.

"That has got to hurt." Uruhara remarked, trying to suppress his smile.

* * *

Dr. Agasa's house

"I'm going back home now, Dr. Agasa." Conan said. He stood up and stretched.

"Okay Conan-kun. Take care."

"Bye guys." Conan said to his three friends. They turned to him and 'shhhhhhhhhhh'ed him in unison.

Conan left the house. It was nearly sunset.

'The sun feels so nice.' He thought to himself. He closed his eyes.

Suddenly, he was aware that someone was in front of him. He opened his eyes and gasped.

In front of him stood the largest man he had ever seen. He was wearing an apron and wore a pair of spectacles. His huge frame blocked out the sun.

"Are you Shinichi Kudo?" the man asked.

Conan flinched. Who exactly is this man?

"I have something for you. Here."

Conan took the envelope from the huge man. He looked at the writing on the front. It was addressed to Shinichi Kudo.

"Who-?" Conan looked up. The man was nowhere to be seen.

"Let's see what this envelope is about…" he muttered. One thing for sure, someone already knew his real identity.

Conan opened the envelope with trembling fingers. He gingerly took out the piece of paper inside. He carefully unfolded it.

There were only 2 words written on the piece of paper.

_Yo Kudo._

Conan stared at the 2 words until they were a blur. Before he managed to think about the meaning, he felt himself pushed aside by a huge force. He rolled aside into the bushes and stared.

There was nothing there. But on the spot where he stood, there was a huge footprint pressed down deep. Conan could not believe his eyes.

The leaves on the overhead tree rustled. Suddenly a few branches broke and fell. Conan stared. He could not see anything and yet he could sense a presence there. He took an involuntary step backward.

The hollow smiled, its teeth bared and moved forward for the kill.

* * *

Tokyo

Ichigo leapt into action. The hollow leapt towards the boy, its mouth wide open. It looked as though it would swallow the boy whole. Ichigo stopped the hollow in its tracks with his zanpakutō.

'Shinigami!' the hollow hissed. 'You shall die too!'

"Shut up!" Ichigo replied coolly. "You are such a wimp, picking on small kids."

The hollow roared and lounged toward Ichigo. Ichigo stood his ground and with a single calculated strike, slashed the hollow's mask into two. The hollow gave a final, defeated roar and dissolved into thin air.

Ichigo turned to the young boy standing there while the battle raged. The boy was still squinting into thin air, albeit at his direction. Ichigo decided to disappear before the boy caught a whiff of his spiritual power. He was in the midst of leaping away when the boy spoke up.

"Who are you?"

Ichigo turned to the boy. "You can see me?"

"Of course. You're dressed weird, in a black kimono. And you're holding that huge sword."

"Black kimono?!" Ichigo stuttered. "It's what all shinigamis wear."

"Not exactly a fashion statement."

Ichigo groaned. He had to put up with a wise kid.

"What's your name, kid?"

"I'm Edogawa Conan."

"I'm Ichigo Kurosaki. And boy are you going to enjoy whatever we're going to do next."

"I'm anticipating it." Conan replied with a small smile on his face.


	5. Shinichi's return

Uruhara's shop

"Welcome my young friend." Uruhara cried happily. "Welcome to Uruhara's shop."

Conan stared at the weird looking man in front of him. "Uh…"

"You're so happy to be here that you're speechless. I know, my shop gives that kind of effect on people." Uruhara smiled widely. "I guess…"

Rukia aimed another flying kick at his head. He managed to dodge it.

"You can't try the same trick twice." Uruhara beamed at her. Then he pitched forward.

"Don't talk nonsense anymore!" Ichigo said angrily. "Let's get to the point already."

"Alright already." Uruhara gasped from the ground. "Before I die from all the kicks I get."

He led the group down to his basement. He had built a large cavern-like room beneath his shop. It was the same place where Ichigo trained to regain his shinigami powers. Uruhara had set up the portal that would allow Conan and his group to go to Soul Society. Ichigo remembered the portal clearly. He and his friends had almost gotten swallowed up when they went to Soul Society to save Rukia. Uryu Ishida had almost been lost to the portal. Ichigo shuddered.

Conan was in awe of everything around him. He was so amazed with his surroundings. He had a ton of questions to ask but the weird bunch of characters seemed to be engrossed in whatever they were discussing. Conan decided to stay silent for the time being and try to milk as much information before he asked questions.

"Okay!" Uruhara beamed widely. "This here's the portal to bring you to Soul Society. Besides Ichigo here, no one else has gone through the portal and made it out alive." He leaned in close to Conan. "Are you scared?"

"There's nothing to be scared of." Conan replied coolly, looking straight back at Uruhara.

"Don't you need to tell him about how the portal works?" Rukia asked.

"Ah yes. That..."

"This is probably a portal to this Soul Society place you keep talking about. And judging by the look on Ichigo's face, I can see that it's not as safe as it appears to be. Perhaps it has a time limit to it. The portal will close after a certain period of time and whoever is stuck, remains stuck." Conan looked around at the astonished faces. "Am I right?"

"Spot on."

"Darn right."

"Whoa."

"Now I know why he's needed back at Soul Society." Rukia whispered to Ichigo. He nodded.

"Good deduction kid. So let's get on with it." Uruhara touched the side of the huge portal. It hummed and exploded open with a bright light. "Remember, you have precisely 4 minutes before you're stuck. Good luck."

"Let's go Rukia!" Ichigo cried as he plunged into the light. Rukia followed close behind him. Conan was about to follow them in when Uruhara stopped him.

"Are you really a kid?"

Conan smiled mysteriously. "That remains to be seen." Then he followed the other two shinigamis into the portal.

* * *

World-in-between

Conan stumbled out into an open space. He adjusted his glasses and looked behind him. The portal had disappeared and in its place was a huge wall of nothingnes, rushing on to him. Conan felt as though he was a rabbit caught in front of a car's headlights. He froze.

Suddenly, he felt himself being lifted into the air by a pair of strong arms; Ichigo's. Beside them, Rukia was panting hard as she tried to keep pace with Ichigo. They were running while the wall of nothingness loomed dangerously behind them. Conan forced himself to breathe calmly.

"Nice one kid. We almost lost you eve before we reached Soul Society." Ichigo managed to say in between breaths.

"Put me down. I can run pretty fast on my own." Conan insisted.

"And risk having you lost forever. I don't think that'll happen."

Conan struggled for a bit and finally managed to jump out of Ichigo's grasp. He quickly bent down and turned the knob on his shoes. He could feel the boost of the shoes. He silently thanked Dr. Agasa's brilliant invention. With the help of the shoes, he could easily keep pace with the other two shinigamis.

"There it is. C'mon!" Rukia yelled. Conan saw a thin sliver of light up ahead. He immediately ran a little faster.

"C'mon! It's closing in on us!"

Suddenly, Conan felt a familiar burning in his bones. The pain was unbearable. But he forced himself to continue running forward. He slowed down.

Ichigo and Rukia leapt out of the portal into the fresh air of Soul Society. Conan was nowhere to be seen.

"Where is he?!" Ichigo cried. The portal still had not closed yet.

"I think that's him coming!" Rukia said, peering into the bright light of the portal.

A figure leapt out of the portal. But he was not a kid anymore. Ichigo and Rukia approached the figure. He was dressed in tattered clothes that were way too big for him. His eyes fluttered open.

"Who the heck are you!?" Ichigo demanded. "Where's Conan!?"

Rukia peered closely at the face of the young man. Then it struck her.

"Ichigo." Rukia's voice was barely above a whisper. "I think THAT is Conan."


	6. Shinichi in Soul Society

Soul Society

Ichigo stared at the young man on the ground.

"You're Conan?!"

Conan, or rather the young man stared at his hands, in amazement. His eyes widened happily.

"I turned back to my own self!" he cried happily.

"What do you mean, kid?" Ichigo asked. "You turned back to your own self?"

"I'm back to being Shinichi Kudo again!"

"Hold on a sec…you're saying that you're THE Shinichi Kudo?"

"The one and only."

"And that kiddy look was just a ruse?"

"I guess I'll have to tell it all from the beginning." Shinichi sighed. The two shinigamis waited for him to begin.

"I am Shinichi Kudo, one of the best teenage detectives in Japan."

"Talk about a huge ego." Ichigo muttered.

"And I didn't know it then but my curiosity eventually got the better of me." He paused, as though he was remembering a sad past. "I was at the theme park with my childhood friend…"

"Girl or guy?" Ichigo quipped. Rukia gave him a kick to the head.

"Shut up and let him talk."

"It was a girl." Shinichi said, his eyes dreamy. "Her name is Ran Mouri. We've been friends since forever."

"Right, so can we get back to the main story?"

"Sorry." Shinichi replied sarcastically. "And can you stop butting in with all your comments?"

"I liked you better as a kid." Ichigo grumbled.

"So anyways, we were at this theme park. And I saw 2 men dressed in black. They were acting really suspiciously. So I decided to see what they were up to. I followed them and saw an illegal deal of money laundering."

"And then you probably rushed up to them and valiantly tried to stop them."

"NO!" Shinichi gave Ichigo the evil eye. "I was attacked from behind because I was too preoccupied with the deal."

"Okay. That makes sense."

"And then they fed me this drug…and when I woke up, I was Conan."

"A drug that makes a grown up turn back into a kid?" Ichigo's eyes widened. "That's cruel."

"So what about this childhood friend of yours? Ran Mouri?" Rukia asked. "Didn't she notice something wrong?"

"Of course she did. But I've managed to evade her suspicions by calling her every night with this voice-changing device. And I have this wristwatch which can shoot needles and knock out people. And a pair of shoes that make my legs stronger."

"Those shoes won't fit you anymore. Plus you need to put on some new clothes. You look like you've suddenly grown up."

"You idiot! That's exactly what happened." Rukia remarked. "We need to get him some clothes so that he'll be able to blend in."

"You mean those shinigami clothes you're wearing?" Shinichi asked. "I'm not putting those on."

"You have no choice kid." Ichigo replied. "But where are we supposed to get clothes for him?"

"Oh don't you worry about that." Rukia smiled mysteriously. "I have my ways."

"That's never a good thing." Ichigo whispered to Shinichi.

* * *

Renji Abarai's room

"RUKIAAAAAAAAAA!!!" Renji screamed. "WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU DOING IN MY ROOM?!"

"I wanted to borrow some of your clothes. Your shinigami robes." Rukia replied, rummaging around the closet.

"You didn't need to barge in like that. I'm supposed to have some privacy for myself!!!"

"Well, I'm sorry." Rukia said. "Now where exactly are your robes?"

"What do you need it for anyways? Don't you have your own clothes?"

"I need it for him." Rukia replied, pointing outside. "Come in Shinichi."

Shinichi walked into Renji's room followed by Ichigo. Ichigo looked around at the messy room.

"Whoa. And I thought my room was messy…"

"Who the heck is this?!" Renji pointed his finger at Shinichi. "Why is he half naked?"

"He's the guy the General Captain asked me to bring." Rukia explained. "So get me some clothes for him before he catches a cold or something."

"Okay, okay." Renji turned and opened his closet. He pulled out an extra robe. "Here."

"Glad you could help us Renji." Ichigo said mockingly. "Maybe you should clean up your room now." He ran out before Renji could react to his insults.

Shinichi gratefully accepted the robe and put it on. "Thanks a lot…uh…"

"Renji Abarai."

"Right. Mr. Abarai." Shinichi cast a glance at him. "Maybe you should cut down on eating so much snack food. Especially those Buffalo chips."

"How the heck…?"

"Simple. Your fingers have the orangey colour that is only found in Buffalo chips. And judging by your reaction, I know I'm right. Plus, I see quite a bit of the leftover bags scattered around the room. So you've been snacking in your free time on Buffalo chips. Simple."

Renji was speechless.

"I know. He did that to me and Ichigo too." Rukia said.

"Bye."

Renji just nodded. Rukia and Shinichi left the room. Renji continued to stare.

"Whoa." He breathed.

* * *

"So where to now?" Shinichi asked. "I have to go see someone right?"

"We're heading there now." Rukia replied. "You better be careful of your actions and words."

"Righto, kid." Ichigo agreed. "It's dangerous there."

"Don't talk so fast Ichigo. You're one of those people who can't really control themselves."

"Oh shut up!"

They walked in silence along the hallways of the shinigami residence. Soon they reached the huge doors of the meeting room.

"We're here, Shinchi." Rukia said. "Remember your manners."

"You don't have to tell me what to do. Besides you're my age."

"Are you 140 years old then?" Rukia asked mockingly.

"What?!" Shinichi was stunned. "You're a 140?!"

"What did you expect? 12?"

"Um…you look pretty young for your age…"

"Shut up, Kudo and let's get a move on." Rukia said. She turned and strode into the hall.

"140 years old?" Shinichi mused. "This place is so weird."

"Get used to it, kid." Ichigo told him. "And no use worrying about that. You're going to face all the shinigami captains of Soul Society. Be prepared."

"I told you. I'm relishing this challenge." Shinichi smiled. "I am already prepared."

"Good. Let's go then."


	7. Where's Conan?

Tokyo

"Professor, is Conan-kun at your place?" Ran Mouri's panicked voice drifted over the phone.

"He left my house hours ago." Dr. Agasa replied. "You mean to tell me that Conan is not home yet?!"

"He's not home yet. I tried calling his cell phone but I can't seem to reach him. He's never been out this late before."

"Calm down Ran. We need to slowly think things over. He left my house in the evening. He said he was going to go home."

"He's not home!" Ran was close to tears. "Maybe he was kidnapped or something."

"Have you called the police?"

"Otou-san has asked for Inspector Megure's help. I think Takagi-san and Satou-san are also on the lookout."

"So we can only hope that they can find traces of Conan-kun." Dr. Agasa sighed. "Don't worry so much, Conan-kun has a very good head on his shoulders. He can take care of himself."

"Thank you Dr. Agasa." Ran said. "I'll call again if there is anything new." She hung up.

"Hmmm…it seems as though Conan-kun is missing in action." Dr. Agasa mused to himself. "I hope he's alright all by himself."

"What's wrong Dr. Agasa?" Haibara asked, suddenly appearing behind him. He jumped up.

"Ai-chan! I thought you were in the shower."

"I was, but now I'm not." She narrowed her eyes. "Did something happen to Conan-kun?"

Dr. Agasa sighed.

* * *

Soul Society

Shinichi walked into the huge hall. The shinigami captains were all lined up at the side of the room. Behind them stood their vice-captains. All eyes were on him.

"Shinichi Kudo!"

Shinichi saw an old man sitting at the far end of the hall. He stood up from his seat. And walked towards them.

'So this must be the guy…" Shinichi guessed.

"General Captain." Rukia bowed. "I have brought the person, Shinichi Kudo."

"Well done, Rukia. You may go now and take the substitute shinigami with you." He glanced over at Ichigo.

"Sir, I think we deserve to listen to the proceedings." Ichigo ventured. "After all, we brought Shinichi back."

"You are not a captain and neither are you a vice captain. You are merely a substitute shinigami. You do not deserve to be here."

"I think I'd prefer them to stay, sir." Shinichi said. "I don't trust you yet."

All the captains turned and stared at Shinichi. Even Rukia and Ichigo turned to stare.

"What did you just say?" the General Captain spoke softly.

"I don't really trust you." Shinichi repeated. "You send your people to just whisk me off from my home and you expect me to trust you?"

"This kid has a death wish." Ichigo muttered under his breath.

"Shinichi Kudo. You are one of the few rare humans who can enter Soul Society. And we have extended our hospitality to you. Now you tell us that you don't trust us?"

"Exactly." Shinichi was still defiant. Rukia was waving at him desperately to keep quiet.

"Well then, Shinichi Kudo. We no longer have any need for your services." The General Captain turned away. "Take him away."

"Hold it, sir." Shinichi spoke up just before the guards grabbed hold of him. "Perhaps you better listen to what I have to say first."

"Hmmm…?"

"You have called me here to solve a case for you." Shinichi began. "One of your captains is hurt and you want me to find the culprit of this crime. Judging by your reactions to this crime, I think that no one can easily hurt this captain, even if it's through stealth. Therefore, I conclude that the person who did this crime is in this room."

Everyone looked around uneasily.

"Hold on, Shinichi Kudo. I have not told you the facts yet. How did you come to that conclusion?"

"Simple. Just by using my eyes. I see that there are only 11 captains but there are 12 vice captains. Ichigo told me about your Captain Division system. Therefore I deduced that one of your captains must be either hurt or dead. And Ichigo also told me about the power of the captains. I think it will not be easy for just anyone to attack and wound a captain."

"Good point." The General Captain stroked his beard. "So do you have any idea who did it? And why did you say the person is here in this room?"

"Again, simple. You yourself said that not many people can enter Soul Society. And as I came here, I saw many of the lower ranked shinigami about. They can be excluded. The most powerful of all the shinigami's are here. So the murderer can only be among the 11 other captains in this room."

"You idiot! Don't throw your word about so carelessly. I can kill you with a single slash of my blade." Kenpachi growled.

"How can you accuse us of such a heinous crime?" Hitsugaya asked. He drew his zanpakutō and aimed the blade at Shinichi.

"Captain Hitsugaya! Put down your blade at once." The General Captain said. "You have shamed us shinigamis."

Hitsugaya reluctantly lowered his blade and stepped back into position.

"Shinichi Kudo. You are hereby tasked with solving this crime and finding the true perpetrator. Good luck."

"Thank you, sir." Shinichi replied. He looked around at all the captains. "And thank you, captains."

They just glared at him with stony silence.

* * *

Tokyo

"Inspector Satou. Inspector Takagi." Ran Mouri was close to tears. "Do you have any news of Conan?"

"We don't have a single trace of him yet." Takagi began before Satou elbowed him in the ribs.

"We're still trying hard to find him, Ran." Satou said softly. "I think he…"

"It's been almost a week now!" Ran's voice cracked. "A whole week. Imagine poor Conan being kidnapped by people."

"We're not ruling out the kidnapping yet." Takagi said, earning him another elbow to the ribs.

"Don't worry Ran, Conan is capable of taking care of himself."

"Yeah." Takagi added.

"So please Ran. Don't worry. We'll inform you once we find any traces of him."

"Thank you, Inspectors." Ran sniffled. They stood up to go.

'Where are you Conan? And what are you doing now?' Ran asked herself.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Ran stood up and opened the door.

"Where is Kudo…I mean Conan?" Heiji Hattori said as he barged in. "I heard he's missing."

"That was pretty tactless of you, Heiji." Kazuha Toyama scolded. "Why should you ask where he is when you know he's missing?"

"Oh shut up, Kazuha." Heiji retorted. Then turning to Ran, "Is he really missing?"

"It's been nearly a week now." Ran felt tears well up in her eyes again. Kazuha comforted her friend.

"Don't worry. I'm sure he's fine."

"I think we better go out and search for him." Heiji suggested. "The police are going to need all the help they can get."

Dr. Agasa's house

* * *

"What do you mean he's not found yet?!" Haibara shouted. "He could be very much in danger!"

"Ai-chan, don't be so hyped up." Dr. Agasa spoke up timidly.

"We're doing our best to locate Conan-kun." Inspector Megure said, wiping his brow.

"You gotta do much better then." Haibara stomped off angrily to her underground laboratory.

"Forgive her, Inspector Megure." Dr. Agasa said apologetically. "She's just distressed."

"Don't worry professor. I understand. I guess I'll be back if I have anymore news."

"Thank you Inspector."

Haibara waited until the door shut before she sprang out.

"Professor. I want to go and look for Conan-kun. I fear that the Black Syndicate might have gotten him somehow."

"Ai-chan, you cannot go alone. It'll be very dangerous for you."

"It's for the best." Haibara replied. "I'll try to trace him with this pair of tracking spectacles."

"Alright Ai-chan. But I'm coming along with you."

"Let's go now."

They headed towards the door. Just as Dr. Agasa was about to start the engine, the passenger door opened and 3 people clambered into the car.

"You're not going without us, professor!" Ayumi said.

"We want to help save Conan too!" Mitsuhiko added.

"And then we're all going to eat unagi together!" Genta finished.

"You guys…" Haibara sighed. "Let's go then."


	8. Conspiracy

Somewhere in Soul Society

'"That idiotic detective's arrival is not going to be a good thing for our plan." The first man said.

"I think we might first need to eliminate him." The second man added.

"How do we do that?" the first man began to pace around the room. "He's under the protection of the General Captain. Plus he's always follwoed by that stupid substitute shinigami, Ichigo Kurosaki. We've challenged him. We've both lost to him."

"Then we'll have to eliminate the substitute shinigami first."

"Easier said than done…" the first man muttered.

"Wait a second…" the second man smirked. I have a better idea. A much better idea."

"What is it? Are we going to eliminate someone again?"

"No. We're going to force that Kudo kid to forgo this case."

"How?"

"We'll need some of the people that are most dear to him." He smiled evilly. He waved his hand and an orb appeared. "Let's start with those people looking for him."

The first man looked into the orb and grinned.

* * *

Soul Society

"You're an idiot, Kudo." Rukia said.

"Thanks a heap. I was willing to stand up to him and you call me an idiot."

"THAT WAS THE GENERAL CAPTAIN FOR GOD'S SAKES!" Rukia burst out. You DON'T stand up to the General Captain under any circumstances!"

"I think it was high time someone stood up to him." Ichigo put in helpfully. The next minute, he was sprawled on the ground.

"You did that once and you almost got yourself killed."

"They were going to execute you, you ungrateful woman!"

"Where exactly are we going now?" Shinichi asked suddenly.

"We're going to the scene of the crime." Rukia explained. "Even the best detectives need to see the crime scene before they can make conclusions."

"Right. So has anyone been inside the crime scene?"

"No one except for our own forensics team." Rukia told him. Then seeing the look on his face, "We do have a forensics team, y'know. It's led by the 12th Division's captain, Mayuri Kurotsuchi."

"Um, which one was that?"

"Take a guess, detective." Rukia grinned.

"Hmmm…" Shinichi rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Is he the one who looks a bit like a clown?"

"A clown?" Rukia asked. Ichigo burst out laughing.

"That's one of the best jokes I've heard so far. But you better not let him hear that. He'll melt you and use your leftovers for his experiments."

"Oh shut up, you two. We've reached already."

Rukia led them into one of the many back alleys of Soul Society. The whole area was cordoned off, with many black-robed shinigamis walking around. When they saw Shinichi approach, they started whispering among themselves. But they still moved aside to allow Shinichi to enter the area.

"Get to work, Great Detective." Rukia commented sarcastically.

Shinichi surveyed the area. There was blood all over the walls and on the ground as well. The faint smell of blood still lingered on the air. Shinichi was no stranger to bloody crime scenes but this one made his stomach flip.

"How can a person lose so much blood and still be alive?" he asked Rukia.

"You can ask Ichigo. He's one of the people who has lost so much blood that he can start his own blood bank." Rukia pointed at Ichigo, who frowned.

"So this person, this captain, he's still alive?"

"Yes. He's resting in the infirmary now."

"That's impossible…" Shinichi muttered to himself. "Totally impossible…"

"What's possible here in this world, may not be possible in your own world, Kudo." Ichigo said seriously.

"Wow." Rukia said sarcastically, "An actual wise saying from Ichigo. You better keep that one in your head. These wise sayings are rare enough."

"Why you…" Ichigo glared at Rukia angrily. "You're just lucky I don't hit girls."

"Do you two always do this?" Shinichi asked.

"Do what?!" Both of them turned to him and asked.

"Never mind." He turned back to the crime scene. "There's nothing much here except for…." He stopped. Taking out his handkerchief, he bent down and picked something up from the ground.

"What is that?" Ichigo asked.

"A clue." Shinichi replied simply. "It looks as though it's some kind of…leather piece. More directly, leather from the tip of a shoe."

"Leather piece?" Ichigo frowned. "Soul Society doesn't have leather shoes. We wear these straw sandals. All shinigamis wear the same thing."

"Leather shoes?" Rukia muttered to herself.

"I think we'll just keep this clue." Shinichi replied. "I think that's everything to see here. I'd like to see this captain."

* * *

Tokyo

"Where could Conan be?" Ran asked. Heiji shrugged his shoulders.

"Beats me. That kid could be anywhere."

"Don't worry Ran, I'm sure we'll find him somewhere."

'I hope Kudo is not in trouble. I just hope it's nothing to do with the Black Syndicate.' Heiji thought.

"Ran-nee-chan?" a voice cried out from behind them. All three of them turned.

"Genta-kun, Mitsuhiko-kun, Ayumi-chan, Ai-chan." Ran said, surprised. "What are you all doing here?"

"We're looking for Conan-kun too." Ayumi replied brightly.

"We can find him because we're the Detective Boys." Mitsuhiko declared.

"And we need Conan to be in our football team or else our team will lose." Genta finished.

"Woi, woi…" Heiji said. "Kids can't just be running around like that. Your own parents might be worried sick about you."

"Heiji, don't be such a spoilt sport." Kazuha scolded. "You should follow their example. They help a friend in need."

"Whatever…" Heiji replied. "I'm sure the professor has something to do with this." He looked around and saw Dr. Agasa waving at the group sheepishly.

"Thank you everyone." Ran said. "We're going to need all the help that we can get to find Conan-kun."

"Then perhaps I can help you with that." A lady stepped out from the shadows. She had dark skin and hair pulled back. Her eyes were a startling green.

"Who are you?" Heiji demanded.

"You can call me Miss Yoru." She smiled, a little bit like a cat.

* * *

Somewhere in Soul Society

"What the hell?!" the first man cursed. "Yoruichi got to them before we did."

"Then we have to get them back." The second man replied calmly "Yoruichi can't challenge us both while protecting them."

"I hope you know what you're doing." The first man said. "Kudo is pretty close on our scent."

"You idiot. He knows it's not going to be us." The second man smiled. "I have a little plan for Kudo. It'll be like a farewell gift for him."

"What is it?"

"What do you think of hollows in Soul Society?"  
"It's going to be one hell of a party."


	9. Never meant to belong

Soul Society-Infirmary

"You're an idiot Kudo." Renji told him as he led Shinichi, Ichigo and Rukia into the infirmary.

"I know. I've heard that more than once today." Shinichi smiled wryly. He turned to look at the injured captain. Shunsui Kyōraku was lying faceup, his eyes closed. He had bandages all over his face and a cast on his neck. There was a bloody stain on the bandage.

On seeing the group arrive, Nanao Ise, the vice captain of the 8th Division stood up. She was a serious looking lady, wearing a pair of spectacles. She looked at them.

"You must be Shinichi Kudo." She said. "But I don't think you'll find much information here."

"I'm sorry for disturbing the captain." Shinichi replied. "But I would like to look at the captain's wounds. It'll help in the investigation."

"Alright then." Nanao turned to the nurse. "Remove the captain's bandages."

As the nurse slowly unwound the bandages around the captain's neck, Shinichi could see that there was a huge gash. He pulled on a pair of rubber gloves and set to work. He examined the wound carefully.

"There's an incision cut, about 15 centimeters wide. " he reported.

"The doctor has already stated that fact." Nanao replied indignantly. "We don't need a detective to tell us that."

"But did he tell you that the wound can not be caused by a normal _zanpakutō?" _he asked her. She looked up quickly.

"What?"

"This wound is not inflicted by a _zanpakutō _sword. It's caused by a short blade of around 10 centimeters."

"That would mean…"

"This crime can be caused by everyone who had a short blade. Plus, we won't be able to identify the attacker by comparing his _zanpakutō _to the wound."

"In short, you've wasted a good 5 minutes of our time and still there is no conclusion." Ichigo said.

"Oh…but I've also narrowed down the list of suspects to 8 people. And out of this 8 people, there are 2 assailants."

"Why two?"

"Because you've gotta look at the angle of the cut." Shinichi explained. "It's an uppercut. An uppercut stroke like this one can only be done from behind. But based on all the wounds on his body and the blood at the crime scene, it's clear that he was attacked from the front. Therefore, the captain was defending him from the first attacker while the second attacker went behind him and gave him the neck wound."

"Well explained, Kudo." Mayuri Kurotsuchi clapped his hands as he walked into the room.

"It's you captain." Shinichi said wryly. "What are you doing here?"

"Just looking at our patient." Mayuri replied. "And what are you doing here? I don't think the captain's going to recover faster if there's going to be a whole group here."

"Hey watch it captain." Ichigo said. "Shinichi is supposed to solve the case."

"Right. I shall not bother you then." Mayuri said as he turned and left the room. "Good luck detective."

"Thank you captain. Nice shoes by the way." Shinichi looked at the captain's shoes.

"Something I picked up from the human realm." Mayuri replied. "They're very comfortable. I've checked all the materials used. Apparently it's made of something called crocodile leather."

"Hmmm…it's expensive stuff then." Shinichi mused to himself.

"Farewell detective. And good luck." Mayuri said as he exited the room.

"I think I've got the facts of the case sorted out. And I suspect one of the attackers to be a captain."

"Who is it, Shinichi?" Rukia asked.

"I can't be completely sure. I need to find out more first."

* * *

Tokyo

"Hey miss." Heiji spoke up. "I don't know who the heck you are but please at least tell us where we're going."

"We're going to find that Conan kid of yours." Yoruichi smiled seductively at the young man.

Kazuha shot daggers from her eyes at the dark skinned lady.

"I still don't trust you completely." Heiji frowned. "You might be leading us on a wild goose chase."

"Heiji, we'll need every bit of help we can get." Ran pleaded quietly. Then she turned to Yoruichi. "Please bring us to Conan if you know where he is."

"Why is this Conan so important to you?" Yoruichi asked. "He's just a kid."

"But he's smart." Mitsuhiko said.

"And he helps the police solve cases." Genta added.

"And he's kawaii too!" Ayumi gushed. The two boys looked at her and she blushed.

"Anyhow, I can't actually bring you to where he is." Yoruichi said. "But I can bring you to see someone who might be able to help you."

"Who is he?"

"He's…"

"Did anyone call for me?" Uruhara appeared behind Ran.

"Who…who are you?!" Heiji asked. "And how the heck didja appear behind me?!"

"I'm Keisuke Uruhara. Nice to make your acquaintance."

* * *

Soul Society

"So other than what we already know-that there are 8 possible suspects from which 2 of them are culprits- we don't know anything more." Ichigo yawned. "Being a detective sucks man."

"But I think I've solved half the case already. Now I just need evidence that this person is the culprit. And then, I can find the identity of the other person."

"It's going to be difficult, Shinichi." Rukia said, shaking her head. "It's tough as it is already that the captains aren't very accepting of you."

"Because I stood up to the General Captain?"

"That was a plain stupid move but no." Rukia said. "They're angry that you put them as suspects in this case."

"But they are the ones who could have committed it."

"Idiot. You don't go around challenging people who are capable of killing you. And you even stood up to the General Captain. In Soul Society, that is a big no-no." Ichigo told him.

"Speak for yourself. You seem to be a rebel too." Shinichi countered.

"I was. But you'll never be as big a rebel as me. I literally tore Soul Society apart just trying to save Rukia."

"And I said thank you, didn't I?" Rukia replied coolly.

"Thank you is all you gave me." Ichigo retorted. "After I risked my life and the lives of so many other people just to save you."

"Then you shouldn't have saved me if you thought I wasn't worth it, idiot."

"You…" Ichigo's sentence was cut short by Shinichi's groan. "What's up with you Shinichi?"

"I…don't…know…" Every word was forced out. Shinichi doubled over in pain and cried out.

"What's wrong with you Shinichi?" Rukia asked, the panic rising in her voice. She rushed over to Shinichi.

"I think…I'm changing back." He managed to say as the familiar burning sensation washed over his body.

"Changing back to what?" Ichigo asked, trying his hardest to support Shinichi up.

Shinichi was sweating profusely now. His eyes were mere slits as he struggled to contain the pain.

"I think I'm changing back to Conan again."

The two shinigamis stared at him, shocked beyond words.


	10. The plot thickens

Soul Society

"Shinichi, you can't turn back to Conan." Rukia whispered hoarsely. "No one will believe a small kid point out the real murderer."

"Shinichi, if you turn back now, the attacker will be able to defend himself." Ichigo added. "You better…"

"Don't worry. I'll give you name of the person I suspect." Shinichi coughed hard. "He's…"

* * *

Somewhere in Soul Society

"He's on to me."

"It's because of your stupidity." The second man said coldly. "Sadly, I don't have much need for someone who's already found out."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm getting rid of the excess baggage. Namely, you."

"After all I did for you, you're just throwing me out like a bag of rubbish?"

"You're brilliant. You're smart. But you're also the one who killed. The murder weapon is still on you. You can't run."

"You…you beware. One day, you're secret will be out."

"My plan for total domination of Soul Society is almost complete. Soon, I'll be able to summon the _sōkyoku _and rule Soul Society."

"You told me I'd have a part in it."

"Silence, Mayuri. I promised you nothing." The second man stroked his chin. "But I know that your excecution will successfully bring forth the _sōkyoku. _I'm sorry, Mayuri."

"You traitor." Mayuri drew his _zanpakutō _and lounged at thesecond man.

"Mayuri, Mayuri." The man sighed and raised his hand. Mayuri stopped in his tracks, frozen in place. "When will you ever learn? You'll never defeat me."

Mayuri stood frozen in place, bound by a kido spell.

"And the next time I see you, my plans will be complete. Soul Society will be mine." The man laughed loudly. "All mine."

* * *

Uruhara's shop

"Welcome to Uruhara's Shop!" Uruhara exclaimed delightedly. "I know you're so glad to be…" A wooden clog was thrown at his direction and it hit him straight on the head.

"Shut up, Uruhara." Yoruichi said. "We don't have time for you to introduce your shop."

"Very well then. Let's get straight to the point." Uruhara winced as he felt the bruise forming on his head. "Conan is no longer here in the human realm."

Ran's hand flew to her mouth. Heiji and the rest of the Detective Boys stared at him.

"What do you mean no longer in the human realm?!"

"Well, y'see. Conan was brought to Soul Society, which roughly is something like a place you go after you die."

"That means Conan-kun is…dead?" Ayumi asked in a small voice.

"Not exactly." Uruhara groaned. "I don't really know how to explain it."

"Move aside greenhorn." Yoruichi said, shoving Uruhara aside. "Conan is required by the people in Soul Society to solve a case for them."

"Dead people asked Conan to solve a case?" Genta's eyes widened.

"In a way, yes." Yoruichi smiled her feline smile. "But Conan is safe. It would be too dangerous for you to go there."

"But I want to go find Conan-kun." Ran said. "I don't know what's this Soul Society and everything but I think Conan-kun will not be able to handle it by himself. He's just a kid."

"A kid you say?" Uruhara's eyes flashed. "I don't think Conan-kun is as kiddy as he looks."

"Old man, can I have a word with you?" Heiji asked quickly.

"Sure thing, young punk." Uruhara replied with a smile. They went aside and started to talk in low whispers.

"You know that Conan is not actually Conan?!" Heiji hissed.

"Whatever do you mean, young punk? Of course Conan is Conan."

"I mean, Conan is actually Shinichi Kudo. And I know it's weird but…"

"I know all about it already." Uruhara grinned. "And now, I think Soul Society is in trouble." He paused. "And so are we in a few seconds."

"What do you mean?" Heiji asked.

"In 3, 2, 1…" the door burst open, revealing 3 arrancar, hollows which wield the _zanpakutō._ Unlikenormal hollows, arrancar look more like normal humans than monsters.

"Tessai, bring them down to the basement." Uruhara cried, as he unsheathed his _zanpakutō _from his walking stick. "Yoruichi! Let's go."

The last thing Heiji saw was a huge man bundling them into his huge arms. Then he had a feeling that they were going very fast.

* * *

Soul Society

"Ichigo…Uruhara's shop is being attacked by 3 arrancar." Rukia reported.

"Does he need us to help?" Ichigo asked. As though we don't have our own problems here in Soul Society. How're you feeling Shinichi?"

"I'm feeling better now." Shinichi was lying on the bed. "The pain's gone."

"It might only be temporary, Shinichi. You have to solve the case before you turn back into a kid."

"I know I have to. So let's continue the search for the second man."

"But why don't we just report the first man? Then we have one less worry." Rukia suggested.

"And we'll give a warning shot to the second attacker." Shinichi countered. "It won't work."

"Perhaps I need to return to the human realm and help Uruhara." Ichigo decided. "He won't be able to take on 3 arrancar no matter how good he is."

"Then I'll take care of Shinichi here. I'll have Renji to help as well."

"Take care, Shinichi." Ichigo said as he leapt upwards and disappeared.

"You too, Ichigo."

"Let's try to pin point the second man." Rukia said. "I'll go call Renji."

"Okay. I'll wait here. We'll discuss it once you come back." Rukia left the room.

Shinichi lay back into his pillow and closed his eyes. He began to think more about the case on hand. It was weird that the assailant would be so dumb to leave the biggest clue right there. Criminals were not as stupid as they seemed. But here was a criminal who left clues, deliberate as they seemed, right out in the open. It was as though he wanted to be caught.

"The murder weapon in a short blade." He mused to himself. "And the assailant is that clown captain. Then who is the other captain?" He thought further. "His _zanpakutō _ was defended by the captain's blade. That means…" A thought dawned on him. "It's really him."

The door flung open.

"Rukia, I found out who's the second captain." Shinichi cried happily. He turned.

"Shinichi Kudo. How very observant of you." A voice said menacingly. "But too bad I'm not Rukia. " Shinichi managed to steal a glance at his assailant's silver hair before his world blacked out.


	11. Arrival of a Phantom

The basement under Uruhara's shop

"What is this place?" Heiji wondered aloud. "How can there be such a huge area underneath the shop?"

"Who are you people? And what have you done with Conan-kun?" Ran demanded angrily, spinning around to face the giant man and the two small kids flanking him. The girl peered at her shyly from behind the huge man while the boy stared at Ayumi with a look of total bliss on his face. Genta and Mitsuhiko glared at him.

"Don't worry. Just stay here." The huge man, Tessai said. He leapt back up the ladder and dissapeared.

"Great. He just left us here. In the middle of a huge wasteland with sands and rocks." Heiji mused to himself.

"So, my name is Ururu Tsumugiya." The girl said shyly.

"My name is Jinta Hanakari and you can call me Jinta, your Highness." The boy bowed low before Ayumi, making her blush. The two boys glared.

"Ururu and Jinta, can any of you tell us what's going on?" Ran pleaded.

Ururu looked at her. "We could, but then we'd have to kill you."

"She's right." Jinta confirmed, still gawking at Ayumi.

* * *

Soul Society

"I don't know what Shinichi's thinking but he better have a brilliant plan." Rukia said as she rushed back to the infirmary with Renji in tow. "Everything's so weird."

"I don't get it, Rukia." Renji said. "Why has everything revolved around that Shinichi person?"

"He's supposedly the one who can solve the case." Rukia replied. "That's what the General Captain said."

"Don't we have our own detectives?" Renji asked again. "Why do we have to ask a human to do it for us?"

"Ichigo is a human…"

"And look what happened when we involved a human. Soul Society was nearly torn apart by his little group of human friends." He paused. "He single-handedly defeated the captains and subcaptains. And cause a revolt."

"C'mon, Renji." Rukia said softly. "If he didn't do that, I would not have lived." She paused. "Plus, if I remember correctly, you were one of the people to revolt as well.'

"I guess so…I mean, WHAT?! I did that to save you!"

"So anyways, I'm sure Shinichi or Conan can help us. He won't do anything against Soul Society."

She flung open the infirmary door. "Now we need to know who the culprit is, Shinichi." She looked around. The room was empty.

"Maybe first, we need to find Shinichi…" Renji mumbled.

* * *

Uruhara's shop

"Yoruichi, how are you holding up?" Uruhara panted as he parried off another blow by the arrancar.

"I haven't had so much fun in a long time." Yoruichi replied, flitting around with her flash steps. The arrancar was desperately trying to slash at her.

"But I don't think the third one is happy to be left out." Uruhara said as he parried a double blow from the arrancar attacking him. "Uh-oh." The third arrancar attacked him from his side. He braced himself for the impact. It never came.

Suddenly, the arrancar's blow was parried by a huge _zanpakutō._

"I think I can be of service then." Ichigo frowned at Uruhara. "I'll entertain him for you."

"Ichigo, what the hell are you doing here?" Uruhara asked. "Where's Kudo-san?"

"Rukia and Renji are taking care of him. Relax." Ichigo slashed out at the arrancar, who leapt back and roared at him.

"You idiot." Yoruichi said. "You're supposed to be protecting him."

"Two of the captains are the culprits." Uruhara added. "So I guess we lost Kudo then. His girlfriend's not going to like that."

"What?! His girlfriend is here? That otaku has a girlfriend?" Ichigo slashed out and hit blade connected at the arrancar's skull. It dematerialized into thin air.

"Stop babbling, Ichigo." Uruhara said. With one swift move, he dispatched of the arrancar. Yoruichi used her flash steps to run circles around her arrancar before slashing its head. Yoruichi and Uruhara lowered their blades stared at Ichigo. He stared back.

"You guys could have thrashed those arrancar." Ichigo marveled.

"You're an idiot Ichigo." Uruhara shook his head. "What the hell are you still doing here?! Go back to Soul Society now!"

"Right…sheesh. Relax." Ichigo bounded off.

"The enemy has actually planned our every single move." Uruhara sighed. "Who the hell could it be?"

* * *

Soul Society

"KUDO!!" Rukia yelled, looking all around the room. "KUDO! Where the hell are you?!"

"Yelling won't help. I'll go ask the other shinigamis to help search." Renji said, as calmly as he could.

"No. We have to look for him ourselves. If word gets out and everyone is searching for him, Shinichi's life will be in danger."

"Good point. But where do we start to look?" Renji held his zanpakutō in his hands nervously.

"We need help. But someone who is subtle and is really good at sensing people's soul powers. Who do we know that has that kind of power?"

Renji thought for a while. Suddenly, his head snapped up and he stared at Rukia. She had the same look on her face.

"Ishida!"

* * *

On the way to Soul Society

'Damn it.' Ichigo thought to himself. 'Why are we even stuck with such a matter? And why must it be Shinichi?' He leapt from building to building, as he made his way back to Soul Society.

He was so engrossed in his thoughts that he did not notice a huge white paraglider flying towards him. There was someone hanging under the paraglider. And he had a huge cheeky smile on his face.

"Kaito Kid strikes again!"


	12. Updates on Shinichigami

Hey guys and girls.

I am really sorry for not being able to update these few months. I have an exam going on and endless assignments to complete. Thus the life of a student. Thanks for all your support towards this story. One day, when I don't have so much stuff to do, I will sit down and just finish the whole story. I already have the final chapter planned out already. So please be patient and bear with me.

Oh yeah, I really hope you guys will give me some reviews. I know that my storyline has gone a bit kooky over the course of all the chapters but I just wanna say that the storyline has NOTHING to do with the current Detective Conan or Bleach manga or anime. To clear the air, I am just using the characters and some of the skills that Gosho Aoyama and Tite Kubo have thought up, explored, fleshed out and totally made cool. Reviews will totally help me keep the story in check.

I know many of you have been really supportive of me in my first story, and keep asking for updates. Thanks a lot for enjoying this story so much. And I will try my best to update as soon as possible. And as much as possible as well.

So please keep supporting me in this story. =)

Cheers to you guys! And gals.

* * *

Here's a little sneak peek for the upcoming chapter though.

'Who the hell are you!' Ichigo yelled at the boy clad in all white.

'I am…Kaito Kid. And I am here to help Shinichi. Or should I say, Conan?'

'How did you know about him?' Ichigo was dumbfounded. Who was this mysterious person? What could he possibly know about Soul Society and Shinichi?

'That is for me to know and for you to find out.' The boy grinned. 'I need to go finish up some personal stuff. Catch you later.' He waved and exploded into a cloud of smoke. Ichigo shielded his eyes and when he opened them again, the boy was gone.

'What the hell? Who was that idiot?'


	13. Uryū Ishida VS Kurotsuchi Mayuri

Soul Society

'So you need my help to find this Shinichi person?' Ishida asked, adjusting his spectacles. 'Why is he so important?'

'He is our only hope of solving a case. We need him.' Rukia pleaded. 'You need to help us.'

'Of course.' He closed his eyes and focused. A thin shred of soul power lingered in the room. Ishida grabbed the line and followed it, darting out of the room. Rukia and Renji followed as best as they could.

Ishida led them to an abandoned warehouse in the middle of Soul Society.

'I can feel his presence inside this building.' Ishida said. 'But I feel another much more powerful force inside.'

'That's gotta be the culprit.' Rukia exclaimed. She immediately made a beeline for the door.

'Rukia, wait!' Renji cried. 'You don't know who's there!'

'C'mon. We gotta help her.' Ishida said, drawing his bow. He and Renji leapt downwards, following Rukia. When they reached the door, they found Rukia on the ground, a look of fear on her face.

'Rukia!' Renji leapt forward. 'Rukia, are you okay?'

'Renji...I…' Rukia pointed at the door. Renji stared at the man standing at the door. He could not believe his eyes. He could not believe that the person standing at the door was actually one of the captains.

'Captain Mayuri! It was you!'

'Yes you fools. I can't believe that I managed to fool everyone into believing me. I guess I really do have the power to defeat a captain.' He paused and grimaced in pain. 'You can't pass. You will have to defeat me to pass.'

Ishida stepped up. 'Let me handle him. I can defeat him by myself. You two go save Shinichi.'

'Shinichi is beyond saving already.' Mayuri cackled. It was almost as though he had gone mad. 'Shinichi is DEAD!'

'GO! I can handle this!' Ishida yelled as he drew an arrow and shot it at Mayuri. He leapt up and avoided the arrow.

'Thanks Ishida.' Rukia nodded curtly and, with Renji, flash-stepped her way past Mayuri.

'Good going hero.' Mayuri laughed crazily as he swung his _zanpakutō _at Ishida. He dodged and fired several arrows at Mayuri. 'You will never defeat me with powers like that Quincy!'

'Then maybe I need to take it up a few notches.' Ishida replied calmly as he fired a barrage of arrows at Mayuri's direction.

Mayuri sidestepped the torrent of arrows and laughed. 'Your weakling arrows will never hurt a captain like me! Face me like a…'

'Maybe I didn't say it clearly enough.' Ishida said as he materialized in front of Mayuri, a huge arrow drawn. 'I need to take you out.' There was no time for Mayuri to even react. His eyes went wide as the arrow pierced through his body and came out through the back. Ishida leapt back, victorious.

'You haven't beaten me yet Quincy.' Mayuri spat, a pool of blood at his feet. 'BANKAI! Konjiki Ashisogi Jizō!' The huge golden baby appeared and sat down beside the wounded Mayuri. 'I don't think you can win this time Quincy. POISON HIM!'

The huge golden creature immediately began spewing out a poisonous substance at Ishida. Ishida tried to leap away but it was too late as the poison surrounded him. He began to falter as the poison began to take control of his system.

'Not so powerful now are you?' Mayuri laughed madly. 'Kill him Ashisogi!' The huge creature lunged at Ishida, who was lying weakly on the ground. Its body had sprouted blades and it was going to crush and impale Ishida. He waited for the end.

Suddenly a snakelike creature appeared and pushed the golden creature away. Renji reeled in his Bankai, Zabimaru for the second attack.

'Looks like you need some help, Ishida.' Renji called out. He lashed out at Mayuri, but his attack was blocked by Ashisogi. He leapt back and prepared another attack.

'Th-thanks Renji.' Ishida said weakly.

'No problem. Let me handle him now.'

'No, let's do it together.' Ishida said, struggling to his feet and forming his bow again. He disappeared and reappeared behind Mayuri, planting 3 arrows in his back. At the same time, Renji drew his Zabimaru back and lashed it with full power at the golden creature. With a roar, the golden Bankai swatted Zabimaru's attack away. Renji tried to reel in his Zabimaru but he was too slow as the golden creature lunged toward him and crushed him.

'RENJI!' Ishida yelled as he pulled a huge glowing arrow and blasted it towards the Bankai. The arrow impaled the creature and it dissolved in a golden shower of flames and gas. The exertion of the attack left Ishida weakened and he fell forward.

With blood in his mouth, Mayuri stumbled across to where Ishida lay. 'You….' He raised his _zanpakutō _and prepared to slash Ishida. Just as his sword was in a downward arc, another _zanpakutō_ appeared out of nowhere and blocked his attack. In a quick counterattack, the blade slashed Mayuri across his chest. Mayuri stuttered backwards, blood flowing freely from the wound.

Ishida looked up. Renji held his _zanpakutō _forward, breathing hard. His robes were all torn and tattered and his hairband was missing, leaving his hair in a mess. He had a self assured smile on his face. 'Let's finish this Ishida!'

Ishida nodded weakly and drew an arrow. Renji charged at the bleeding Mayuri and brought his _zanpakutō _downwards. At the same time, Ishida let loose several shots from his bow, each arrow finding its mark in Mayuri's chest.

Mayuri was weakened by the initial attack and the violent double attack left him powerless. He slumped to the floor, into his own pool of blood.

'I…I lose.' He whispered hoarsely. 'I lose.'

* * *

Gateway to Soul Society

'At long freaking last. You would think that Soul Society would be much easier to access since I'm partially a Shinigami too. Jeez.' Ichigo muttered to himself.

'Yes, precisely why I followed you here. It is such a bother to come.'

Ichigo spun around so fast his neck nearly snapped. Standing behind him, in midair, was a boy all clad in white, wearing a matching top hat. He had a confident grin on his face and a very cheeky look, as though he made a living tricking people.

'Who the hell are you?' Ichigo yelled at the boy clad in all white.

'I am…Kaito Kid. And I am here to help Shinichi. Or should I say, Conan?'

'How did you know about him?' Ichigo was dumbfounded. Who was this mysterious person? What could he possibly know about Soul Society and Shinichi?

'That is for me to know and for you to find out.' The boy grinned. 'Now that I know the way here, I need to go finish up some personal stuff. Catch you later.' He waved and exploded into a cloud of smoke. Ichigo shielded his eyes and when he opened them again, the boy was gone.

'What the hell? Who was that idiot?'

* * *

Authors Note: Sorry for the very long lack of updates. I'm pretty caught up with assignments and everything. I'll try to update this story as much as possible. Thanks for staying with me all this while. =)

Oh, and reviews are very much appreciated.


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